When fuch music sweet IX. Their hearts and ears did greet, As never was by mortal finger strook, Divinely-warbled voice Answering the ftringed noise, As all their fouls in blissful rapture took : The air, fuch pleasure loth to lofe, 95 With thousand echoes still prolongs each heav'nly close. X. Nature that heard fuch found, Beneath the hollow round Of Cynthia's feat, the aery region thrilling, Now was almost won To think her part was done, And that her reign had here its last fulfilling; She knew fuch harmony alone Could hold all Heav'n and Earth in happier union. XI. At laft furrounds their fight A globe of circular light, 105 That with long beams the shame-fac'd night array'd; The helmed Cherubim, And fworded Seraphim, Are feen in glittering ranks with wings difplay'd, Harping in loud and folemn quire, With unexpreffive notes to Heaven's new-born Heir. Such mufic (as 'tis faid) Before was never made, XII. But when of old the fons of morning fung, While the Creator great His conftellations fet, And the well-balanc'd world on hinges hung, And caft the dark foundations deep, 120 And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep. XIII. Ring out, ye crystal Spheres, Once blefs our human ears, (If ye have power to touch our fenfes fo) And let your filver chime Move in melodious time, 125 And let the bafe of Heaven's deep organ blow, 130 And with your ninefold harmony Make up full confort to th' angelic fymphony. For if fuch holy fong Inwrap our fancy long, XIV. Time will run back, and fetch the age of gold, 135 And fpeckled Vanity Will ficken foon and die, And leprous Sin will melt from earthly mold, And Hell itself will pass away, And leave her dolorous manfions to the peering day. XV. Yea With radiant feet the tiffued clouds down fteering, And Heav'n, as at some feftival, Will open wide the gates of her high palace hall. But wifeft Fate fays no, This must not yet be so, XVI. The babe lies yet in fmiling infancy, That on the bitter cross Muft redeem our lofs; So both himself and us to glorify: Yet first to those ychain'd in sleep, 150 155 With terror of that blast, Shall from the furface to the center shake; When at the world's last feffion, 160 The dreadful Judge in middle air shall spread his throne. XVIII. And then at laft our blifs Full and perfect is, But now begins; for from this happy day Th' old Dragon under ground, In ftraiter limits bound, Not half fo far cafts his ufurped sway, And wroth to fee his kingdom fail, Swindges the fcaly horror of his folded tail. The oracles are dumb, No voice or hideous hum XIX. 165 170 Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. Apollo from his shrine Can no more divine, With hollow fhriek the steep of Delphos leaving. Infpires the pale-ey'd prieft from the prophetic cell. The lonely mountains o'er, And the refounding shore, A voice of weeping heard and loud lament; From haunted spring, and dale Edg'd with poplar pale, The parting Genius is with fighing fent ; With flower-inwoven treffes torn 185 The Nymphs in twilight fhade of tangled thickets. mourn. XXI. In XXI. In confecrated earth, And on the holy hearth, 190 The Lars and Lemures moan with midnight plaint; In urns, and altars round, A drear and dying found Affrights the Flamens at their service quaint; And the chill marble feems to sweat, 195 While each peculiar Power foregoes his wonted feat. Peor and Baälim XII. Forfake their temples dim, With that twice batter'd God of Palestine; And mooned Ashtaroth, Heav'n's queen and mother both, Now fits not girt with tapers' holy fhine; The Libyc Hammon fhrinks his horn, 200 In vain the Tyrian maids their wounded Thammuz mourn. XXIII. And fullen Moloch fled, Hath left in shadows dread His burning idol all of blackest hue; In vain with cymbals' ring They call the grisly king, In difmal dance about the furnace blue; The brutish Gods of Nile as fast, Ifis and Orus, and the dog Anubis, hafte. G4 205 210 XXIV. Nor |